Now that we have had the pleasure of our auriculas
this season, the time has come to prepare for next years display. Hopefully by now you will have made
some crosses in the hope of raising "a winner" and you will be keeping an eye on
the seed pods, hoping to see them begin to swell. Many growers- especially in
the North like to re-pot their plants at this time of year although others do
just as well by leaving the task until late-August. The reasoning is to get the
plant settled into new compost and producing a healthy root system before the
summer heat arrives and so ready to make good growth in late summer and autumn.

A quick word about composts and pots. Satisfactory results will be obtained
with proprietary composts, John Innes No.2 with added horticultural grit has
proved a successful growing medium over the years. Some like a mixture of
J.I.No.2 and soil-less compost with extra grit. The compost does need to drain
well and not become waterlogged. Most growers today use plastic pots. In these
the compost does not dry out as quickly as in clay pots and so the watering
requirement throughout the summer is reduced.

Re-potting is not to be confused with "potting on". If you have been growing
auriculas for a year or two you should have young plants at the 12-18 month
stage in 3 inch pots ready to move on into a 3.5inch pot. Such plants need
"potting on" and it is a simple matter to knock the plant from its old pot,
remove the flower truss and stem (if present), trim and tidy up the root ball,
place into the new pot and fill round with fresh compost.

The re-potting process
is for mature plants which may be several years old and which have flowered this
season and involves removing most of the old roots. Take the old plant from its
pot and using a stick or some other blunt pointed implement scrape the old
compost away from the roots. If there are offsets, remove them and put them to
one side.

The carrot should be apparent now and if you
look carefully you will notice that new roots are growing from the top. Cut
through the carrot below where these new roots are growing and discard the mass
of old root. Cover the freshly exposed tissue with sulphur or some other
fungicide - also where any offsets were taken.

Half fill the pot with
fresh compost and with the roots spread out fill round them until the pot is
full. Some growers like to re-pot into a 3 inch pot at this stage and move on
into a 3.5 inch pot in the autumn. Any offsets taken may be potted into fresh
compost- the usual method is to grow several around the edge of a small pot or
pan according to how many there are.

Re-potted plants are now given a thorough watering and it is a good idea at
this point to take some precaution against vine weevil. Provado is widely used
now but some may prefer to use the nematodes, which work well in the warmer
months. Provado also protects against aphids. The plants are now placed in a
cool, shady spot and they must be protected against slugs and snails. You should
try to prevent them becoming waterlogged so they will need some protection from
heavy rain. However do not let them dry out if we experience a long spell of hot
weather. Auriculas do not like strong sunshine for any length of time- any you
expose quickly turn pale and look sickly. If the plants get too hot then the new
roots will "cook". After about a month you should, upon inspection, find that a
new root system is developing and your re-potted plants have crossed the first
hurdle on their way to next season. As ever the auricula grower must be
vigilant- you cannot expect neglected plants to produce good results.